By: Dr Rosie Alcorn BVSc PG Cert VPS Cert AVP MRCVS
As the event season gets underway, this is the perfect opportunity to assess our horses and identify any changes that may need to be made before we fully enter the season. For event horses, we need to regularly review their diets to ensure we are providing the correct balance of calories and nutrients to adequately support the level of work they will be undertaking.
One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to feeding event horses. It is important to consider your goals for the season and plan your feeding programme accordingly.
For our top-level eventers aiming for long-format competitions, we must ensure they receive sufficient calories and protein to support their training and competition demands.
In contrast, grassroots horses will generally require a lower-calorie diet than those competing at higher levels. However, this does not mean that other nutrients, such as protein, should be overlooked. Diets should still be carefully formulated to support their training needs and overall health.
A diet that lacks essential nutrients can make horses more prone to injury, much like human athletes. Deficiencies in key amino acids may prevent horses from properly repairing and rebuilding muscle tissue after exercise.
It is therefore important that horses are fed the correct feed rates as directed on the feed bag to ensure they receive the balanced nutrition the feed is designed to provide.
During the event season, horses will sweat, and as temperatures rise and training intensity increases this becomes more significant. Ensuring they have constant access to clean water and, where appropriate, electrolyte support can help maintain hydration and aid recovery after work.
When using electrolytes, it is important to ensure your horse will actually eat them in their feed, so carrying out a taste test beforehand is advisable.
Regularly assessing your horse’s body condition score is an important part of managing their diet throughout the event season. As training increases, some horses may require adjustments to maintain condition, while others may need their calorie intake reduced to avoid excess weight that could affect performance.
It can be very difficult to add condition to a horse once they are in intense work, so ensuring they have an adequate body condition score now is particularly important.
As with all feeding programmes, fibre should form the foundation of a horse’s diet. However, it is important to consider the types of fibre being fed.
For example, if horses have been stabled all winter and primarily fed hay, allowing them to graze for several hours at an event may not be appropriate. Similarly, if they are usually fed hay and you travel to an event where small bales of haylage are purchased, this should be introduced gradually to allow the horse’s digestive microbiome time to adapt.
Pink Mash is high in fibre (35%), low in sugar and starch (less than 2% combined) and contains live probiotics and prebiotics to support a healthy gut, making it the perfect base feed to support competition horses.
Preparing our horses nutritionally before the event season begins can make a significant difference to their performance, recovery, and overall wellbeing.
By reviewing diets early, ensuring adequate calories and nutrients, maintaining hydration, and monitoring body condition, we can better support our horses through the increased demands of training and competition.
Taking the time now to assess and adjust feeding programmes helps set our horses up for a successful and healthy season ahead.
The Keyflow Range
International Stockists
United States